Leanne M. Stepchinski

My overarching research goal is to investigate how climatic and human development changes affect natural resources, specifically water resources, and to find ways to mitigate these changes in order to minimize negative impacts on natural systems and human communities. Previously, my work has included utilizing carbonate paleontology, sedimentology, and stratigraphy to characterize Permian-Upper Triassic carbonate platforms in South China, and conducting assessments of groundwater and surface water resources in semi-arid to arid regions throughout Texas and in central Kenya. Currently, my research investigates the presence and nature of hydrological connectivity within wetland complexes and the surrounding hydrological landscape, especially within non-floodplain wetland systems such as vernal pools.